Flying
by some nights
Summary: A fluffy one-shot in Toph misses flying and Sokka decides to do something about it.


I was given the prompt of flight and the pairing of Tokka by a friend via Tumblr. This one shot is the result.

Sometimes Toph missed flying.

It had been hard to admit at first, even if it was only to herself. She was an earth bender! Staying close to the ground was kind of her _thing. _Besides, it was a little hard to enjoy the view being blind and all. On further reflection though, it occurred to her that maybe it wasn't so much the flying she missed but all of the adventures the gang had gone on where Appa's back was their main method of transportation. Those would be the best days of her life, a fact she couldn't deny despite only recently entering her adult years. Sure, teaching metal bending was fun, but it paled in comparison to kicking bad guy ass.

She had been invited to dinner at Aang and Katara's that night and knew she wouldn't be able to worm her way out of it least an irate water bender show up on her doorstep and chide her, so she forced a smile and made her way to their home. Luckily, she had managed to become a much better actress over the years and was ushered right in without question.

After Katara and Aang had left to prepare the desert, Toph felt a gentle nudge. Ugh, she really wasn't in the mood for one of Sokka's stupid puns at the moment, much as she normally enjoyed them.

"Hey, you seem bummed. Something wrong?" he asked.

She arched an eyebrow, surprised by his perceptiveness. Normally he would have been the last person to show concern, not that she particularly minded the attention.

"I-nothing," she stammered, suddenly deeply involved in pushing a pea around her plate with her fork. Her theory was that if she blew him off long enough, he would give up as per usual.

"Oh, come on, you can't fool me! Tell your best buddy Sokka what's bothering you."

Toph didn't require vision to tell that he was grinning at her, eagerly awaiting her response. Finally she sighed, unable to resist him any longer. It might help to get everything off her chest anyway.

"This is going to sound stupid, but I miss flying."

"I do too," Sokka was quick to respond. Clearly she hadn't been the only one with that thought… "Hey, maybe Aang will let us take Appa out for a bit?"

"All of us?" Toph asked.

"Um, I was thinking just us two?" he suggested, sounding hesitant.

She had been secretly thrilled when Sokka and Suki's relationship had fizzled out, having secretly harbored a crush on him for quite some time. The only attention she had gotten from him up to that point was how a brother might treat his younger sister but maybe, just maybe, things were about to take a turn for the better.

"Sure," she said quietly, prevented from saying anything further by Aang and Katara's re-entrance into the room.

"Hey Aang, can Toph and eye take Aapa out for a spin later?" Sokka turned to ask the Avatar.

Aang exchanged a look with Katara.

"Yeah, alright. He could probably use the exercise."

—

After receiving a bath in copious amounts of sky bison spit, Sokka helped Toph up into the saddle, made easier than in previous years due to the fact that she had managed to grow a few inches. Once she was up, she offered her hand, ignoring the strange tingle she felt when he grasped on.

He crawled forward and grasped onto the reigns.

"Yip yip!" he shouted.

Toph leaned back as Appa gained momentum, savoring how the wind tugging at her hair and clothes felt. She only sat up when she heard the shifting of cloth against the leather of the saddle next to her, accompanied by the warmth of Sokka's body. Was it just her or was he sitting a little closer than necessary?

"Ah, good to be back in the air again," he mused.

Toph gave a grunt of agreement.

It was silent for a moment until she noticed Sokka moving again. Was he… about to put his free arm around her? A jolt of excitement shot through her as she got her answer.

The only response that came to mind was one of the biting remarks she was notorious for.

"This could be considered harassment, you know. You didn't even ask if I was okay with you putting your arm around me."

He tensed up and moved to slide his arm from around her shoulders. "Oh, s-sorry. I guess I should have asked first?"

Her hand shot up to grasp his wrist before he could get too far. "It's fine. I was just kidding…"

"Oh. Good."

Toph smiled and snuggled against him, amused at how quickly her day had taken a change for the better. Her head shot up from his chest as she was hit with an afterthought.

"There's one condition though. You have to keep this on the down low. It would ruin my reputation if everyone knew I was capable of affection."

Sokka chuckled. "Sure thing, Blind Bandit."


End file.
